Monday, November 12, 2012

Cathedrals of Commerce

I like to visit the Arcade when I’m downtown. It’s smaller
and less ornate than the great gallerias of Milan and Naples. But it’s still a
grand public place precisely because of its relative intimacy compared to those
magnificent cathedrals of commerce.

There are a few places like the Monticello Arcade left in the
United States. Cleveland has one. Providence, Rhode Island, too. Because of
their age and because they were built before the automobile became the dominant
form of transportation, arcades like these do not have the cache of modern
office building, what with their covered parking, gyms and faceted windows. But
for smaller businesses—the Monticello is occupied mostly by law firms and
shipping agents—these old arcades are wonderful space.

Monticello Arcade East Detail, 2012

During the daytime the Monticello Arcade has a wonderful
light. Many of the offices on the upper floors make heavy use of incandescent light,
which give the atrium a wonderful warm glow.

Through the years I’ve photographed the Monticello Arcade
with different cameras and lenses and in color and black-and-white. When I was
there the other day there was scaffolding in the atrium, so I didn’t take
pictures than show the whole space. Because I was concentrating on making
images that give the viewer an impression of both the detail, style and lines
of the structure, it also seemed appropriate to process these photographs in
black-and-white rather than have their composition distracted by color.